It is undeniable that Naruto is a big deal, both as an anime character and as a manga series. The manga was the first to land atop the USA Today bestseller list and one of the top-selling series of all time, with nearly 250 million copies sold worldwide. In this piece, our searchlight will be focused on Minato Namikaze—Naruto’s very formidable father who was a great warrior, and his favorite weapon: the Kunai. During Naruto’s airplay, fans of the series have continuously wondered about the inscription written on Minato’s Kunai and what it meant. If you are one of those fans, this read contains the answers to the questions you’ve been asking.
What Is A Kunai?
The Kunai is an iron Japanese tool that bears a certain semblance to the English trowel. Although used mostly for masonry, it is also a multi-purpose utility tool shaped like an eel. The length of this tool could be anywhere between 10 cm and 50 cm, as there are two distinct sizes: the big Kunai and the small Kunai. In addition to its gentler purposes, a kunai is a fighting tool, as shown in Naruto. This weapon was used mainly by the ninjas in the series, known as the shinobi. It appears like a throwing knife with a ring attached to the end of its handle. To this ring, the ninjas usually attached various objects like strings and blast notes, all aimed at increasing the deadliness of the weapon. They could be used for climbing or descending trees and walls. They were very good offensive weapons as well.
What Made Minato’s Kunai Different?
Fans of Naruto will recall that there were different classes of shinobi ninjas, all rated according to how powerful they were. Many of them wielded different types of Kunai, some carrying more chakra than the others. In the series, Minato’s Kunai served a far greater purpose than just being used to hit an opponent. Minato, nicknamed ‘Yellow Flash,’ was famous for his speed and quick reflexes. Minato Namikaze was also capable of teleportation, a feat he carried out with the help of his Kunai. His weapon was called ‘The Flying Thunder God’ Kunai. It was significantly heavier than regular Kunai and had three blades attached to the handle instead of the regular single-blade design. The triple-blade was mainly helpful in breaking enemy swords when they got caught in between any of the prongs. This special Kunai is what bestowed Minato his teleportation gift, allowing him to perfect a fighting technique called the “Flying Thunder God Technique.” Minato’s Kunai also bore a special Japanese inscription that was carved into its handle. Because every new clue revealed important plotlines in Naruto, the meaning of that writing was a great cause for debate among fans who were very interested in figuring out what the almost illegible inscription meant.
What Does Minato’s Kunai Say In Japanese?
As already mentioned, Minato’s special Kunai bore an inscription that was considered to be directly responsible for its unique powers. The inscription was written in Kanji, a logographic Chinese Han writing system. The inscription reads 忍愛之剣, which, when written in kana, appears like this: にんあいのけん 又は しのびあいのけん. The writing could be read aloud as “ren ai Zhi jian” or, more popularly, “nina oken you ha shinobiai noken.” This writing on the Kunai’s handle was what helped Minato perfect his flying Raijin style, making him one of the deadliest ninjas in the Third Shinobi World War. Legend had it that opposing forces fled in fear upon sighting him.
What Does Minato’s Kunai Say In English?
For English anime lovers, there has been a bit of a struggle to translate the Flying Thunder God kunai’s inscription because the actual etymology of the phrase is unknown. However, manga experts have best translated the writing to read: Shinobu Aino Sword, which is loosely translated to mean “Sword of Shinobi’s Love” in English. This is an interesting discovery because “shinobi” in Japanese means ninja. And in anime, a ninja is a covert, well-trained mercenary or soldier, popularly hired to fight for rich lords back when Japan was a feudal state. Ninjas were an integral part of Japanese wars and usually carried out violent and lawless acts like espionage, sieges, and ambush attacks.
What Is The Flying Thunder God Technique?
The Flying Thunder God Jutsu is a fighting technique that was originally created by the 2nd village Hokage Tobirama Senju and modified by the 4th Hokage, Minato Namikaze. This technique consists of a series of high-speed movements which allowed Minato to instantly transport himself to a previously marked location. The Flying Thunder God technique was perfected by Minato with the help of the special Flying Thunder God kunai. Remember that this Kunai is a special one and was wielded solely by Minato Namikaze. His Kunai bore a seal which, when applied to any regular kunai handle, transformed it into a beacon for teleportation. The technique helped Minato move easily from one point to another during battle, giving him an exceptional advantage over his enemies. One of the most powerful representations of the Flying Thunder God technique Minato exhibited was in his battle against Iwagahure during the Third Shinobi World War. He threw his special Kunai behind the lines of the enemy camp and annihilated the entire army because he had now become teleport capable. According to the legend, Minato’s incredible speed allowed him to avoid enemy attacks while simultaneously attacking them on multiple fronts, killing over a thousand men single-handedly in one day in the war. His exploits on the battlefield have earned him the title of the fastest shinobi to have ever lived, aka The Yellow Flash. Although Minato died young, Minato Namikaze remains one of the most powerful shinobi in anime history, even considered by most manga enthusiasts as unmatched in skill by anyone else. He was revered as one of the most powerful warriors of his time, and he wielded some of the most deadly weapons too. Chief among them was his Kunai, a three-pronged knife that helped him perform astonishing exploits in war.
